What is the Third Temple and who are the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11?
The ThirdTemple and Two Witnesses Resurrected by God
Copyright © 1998-2011Atlantis Station - www.tribulation.com- All Rights Reserved
UnderstandingRevelation Chapter 11
The ThirdTemple and Two Prophets of the Tribulation Period
January 24, 2009
"... but thewise shall understand" (Daniel12:10 KJV)
Revelationchapter 11 covers several events of the Tribulation Period. We willdiscuss the most significant events of chapter 11; that of the Third Temple andthe Two Witnesses. The events are mainly covered from a Earthly perspective. Some have triedto allegorize the story, but if we leave it in its context and balance Scripturewith Scripture, the meaning becomes quite clear. The story has quite a fewsurprises in store for everyone involved.
As with most ofRevelation, much of the language is symbolic, requiring an enlightened view ofall Scripture and the knowledge of Jesus Christ as God's Chosen Messiah; aknowledge only revealed to and available to a believer (2ndCorinthians 4:4). Therefore, the Book of Revelation, also known as TheApocalypse or Revelation of Jesus Christ, is a perpetual mystery tounbelievers. For this reason, early Christians could copy and repeat themysteries found in Revelation without fear of the Roman government realizing itwas Gospel literature.
RevelationChapter 11:1-2(KJV) - The Third Temple of God in Jerusalem
"... Rise,and measure the Temple of God, and the altar ..." (Revelation11:1 KJV)
Revelation11:1-2 Here we are very clearly shownthat the Jews must buildthe Third and final Earthly Temple to God in the city of Jerusalem. TheFirst Temple (Solomon's) was destroyed by the Babylonians during the siege ofJerusalem in 586 B.C. The Second Temple (Herod's) was destroyed by theRomans during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Future? A ThirdTemple will be built and desecrated just before the forthcoming siege ofJerusalem by the Antichristduring the Tribulation Period as described in Zechariah14.
1 Andthere was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise,and measure the Temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 Butthe court which is without the Temple leave out, and measure it not; for it isgiven unto the Gentiles: and the Holy City shall they tread under foot forty andtwo months.
When Jesusspoke of the forthcoming destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans, He madeit clear that Israel will eventually have total control of Jerusalem, though notduring the first 1/2 of the Tribulation as is clearly seen in Revelation 11:2above. Jesus also prophesied of the 500,000 Jews killed during this siegeand the forthcoming Diaspora which scattered the Jew from his homeland to allthe nations of the Earth:
Luke21:24 KJV 24And they shall fall by the edge of thesword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall betrodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
The ApostlePaul reiterated Jesus' statement approximately 30+ years later, from his prisoncell as he wrote the Book of Romans, prior to the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70A.D. Paul admonishes the Christian believer to respect the Jew even thoughhe may appear to be in unbelief. The "fulness of the Gentiles be comein" is a reference to the Church Age which will have its end prior to theTribulation. From the destruction of Jerusalem by the Antichrist shallcome a remnant of Israel, 1/3 of their population notkilled during the siege (Zechariah12:2-3 KJV) will be Saved asdescribed in verse 26 below:
Romans11:25-29 KJV 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest yeshould be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened toIsrael, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, Thereshall come out of Sion (Zion) the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodlinessfrom Jacob:
27 Forthis is My covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
28 Asconcerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching theelection, they are beloved for the Father's sakes.
29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
RevelationChapter 11:3-13(KJV) - The Two Witnesses
"... Come uphere ..." (Revelation11:12 NASB)
Revelation11:3-4 Here we are introduced to the TwoWitnesses (other names forthem are also given) and their brief but powerful Earthly ministry isdescribed. They wear the traditional sackcloth of prophets, signifyingrepentance. The duration of their ministry is 42 lunar months (30 days)clearly explaining that their ministry will cover 1/2 of the 7-year Tribulationperiod (Daniel9:27) ... the first 1/2:
3 AndI will grant authority to my Two Witnesses,and they will prophesyfor twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
4 Theseare the Two Olive Treesand the Two Lampstandsthat stand before the Lord of the Earth.
Revelation11:5 As with all of God's prophets,special protection for the Two Witnesseshas been provided. As described here, the supernatural powers ofself-defense they have been given are quick and powerful:
5 Andif anyone wants to harm them,fire flows out of theirmouth and devours theirenemies; so if anyone wants to harm them,he must be killed in this way.
Revelation11:6 Though their true identity willnot be known until their arrival, the TwoWitnesses have the same powersdemonstrated by Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah appeared withJesus on the Mountof Transfiguration representing the summation of the Law and the Prophets,respectively. Moses turned the waters of Egypt into blood and calleddown multiple plagues. Elijah withheld rain from Israel. Afterthe Church Age of Grace, God will manifest the Law and the Prophets onceagain. In the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets spoke mainly toIsrael ... Here, they will speak to the entire Earth:
6 Thesehave the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days oftheir prophesying; andthey have power overthe waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the Earth with every plague,as often as theydesire.
Revelation11:7-8 When their ministry is finished(after 1,260 days) God allows Satan via the First Beastto attack and defeat the Two Witnessesbut the story still has surprises to come soon. For now, their deaths arevisibly confirmed by their corpses lying in a street of Jerusalem, identifiedmetaphorically in verse 8:
7 Whenthey have finished theirtestimony, the Beastthat comes up out of the abyss will make war with them,and overcome them andkill them.
8 And theirdead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is calledSodom and Egypt, where also theirLord was crucified.
Revelation11:9-10 For 84 hours, the world is sohappy that these Two Witnessesare dead that they won't allow them to be buried! Rather, the world throwsa celebration of their deaths and exchanges presents with each other. Viewing their dead bodies is a focal point of the party:
9Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at theirdead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit theirdead bodies to be laid in a tomb.
10 And those who dwellon the Earth will rejoice over themand celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because theseTwo Prophets tormentedthose who dwell on the Earth.
Revelation11:11-12 One nagging thing about aparty ... there's always a party spoiler! ... This time it's God ... as part ofHis surprise, He decides to bring the TwoWitnesses back from the dead(probably the ultimate party trick!) right in front of the world ... and it'sjust when the party had really got going! This really kills the spirit(unearthly that is!) of the party and scares all of the partygoers to death (Goddid the same thing to the Chaldean King Belshazzar in Chapter5 of the Book of Daniel) ... For more party fun, God then Raptures the TwoWitnesses directly into Heaven,right in front of everyone:
11 Butafter the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them,and they stood on theirfeet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.
12 And theyheard a loud voice from Heaven saying to them,"Come up here",Then they went up intoHeaven in the cloud, and theirenemies watched them.
Revelation11:13 God has a little surprise partyof His own ... to break up the world's party, He sends a big earthquake upon thecity of Jerusalem ... 10% of the city is destroyed ... 7,000 people are killed... but surprise! ... the remaining partygoers decide to worship God!:
13And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell;seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrifiedand gave glory to the God of Heaven.
Be sure andR.S.V.P. your regrets to this world party! Besides, the only proper attireis sackcloth!
ComeUp Here image © 1999 Duncan Long - Used by Permission
MIDI Music:"Spirit in the Sky"